Some subjects of the 21st William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series are universally known – William Shakespeare, Martin Luther King Jr. and Elizabeth Taylor, for example. Others, including liberator and visionary Mary Lumpkin and spymaster Wild Bill Donovan, are less familiar.
But all are intriguing characters whose stories are bound to enlighten audiences of the University of Mary Washington’s hugely popular Great Lives series. Lectures will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from January through March 2024. All are open to the public free of charge and begin at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium of George Washington Hall.
The 2024 Great Lives lineup was announced Tuesday evening at a gala presentation that drew about 140 community supporters, donors and sponsors to the ballroom of UMW’s Jepson Alumni Executive Center.
Series founder and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History William Crawley reminded the crowd of the program’s beginnings as an academic class focused on biography as a key to understanding history. Because prominent speakers were coming to campus, a decision was made early on to open lectures to the public.
The first Great Lives lecture was held in a 200-person space in Monroe Hall – ample space for the approximately 40 enrolled students but, as it turned out, way too small for a standing-room crowd that spilled into the hallways. Lectures were moved to the Lee Hall ballroom and then to the former Great Hall space at Woodard Hall before landing at UMW’s 1,200-seat Dodd Auditorium.
“Although the series is no longer an academic course, it does make it possible for Mary Washington students, as well as the larger community, to hear preeminent biographers from all over the country,” Crawley said. For that, he thanked the many area donors and sponsors who make the annual series possible.
Dates, topics and speakers for 2024 are:
Jan. 16 – THE JAN. 16 LECTURE HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER. (An effort will be made to reschedule the lecture for a future date if possible.)
Spymaster Wild Bill Donovan, presented by Douglas Waller. A World War II hero and lawyer, Donovan headed the Office of Strategic Services, precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency. The Synergy Periodontics and Implants Lecture.
Jan. 18
Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and Sacagawea, presented by Dale Blanshan. The Davenport & Company Lecture.
Jan. 23
William Shakespeare, presented by Elizabeth Winkler. The Stephen and Patricia Powers Gaske Lecture.
Jan. 25
George VI and Elizabeth, presented by Sally Bedell Smith. The remarkable marriage of George and Elizabeth saved the British monarchy, biographer Smith contends. They were the parents of Queen Elizabeth II and grandparents of King Charles. The Gemini 3 Group Lecture.
Jan. 30
Sam Shepard, presented by John J. Winters. An actor, director, author and playwright, Shepard lived in Virginia for many years. UMW Theatre will present Shepard’s play True West Feb. 15-24 at Klein Theatre in duPont Hall. The UMW Theatre Lecture.
Feb. 6
George Washington, presented by Alexis Coe. The Roxanne M. Kaufman Lecture.
Feb. 8
Mary Lumpkin, presented by Kristen Green ’95. Lumpkin was an enslaved woman who later turned a notorious slave jail into a school for Black men, the precursor to Virginia Union University. Alumna Kristen Green is the author of Lumpkin biography The Devil’s Half Acre. The Virginia Partners Bank Lecture.
Feb. 15
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presented by Jonathan Darman. The Irene and Curry Roberts Lecture.
Feb. 20
Pablo Picasso, presented by UMW Professor Emerita of Art History Marjorie Och. The Jon Properties/Van Zandt Restorations Lecture.
Feb. 22
Stan Lee, Marvel Comics legend, presented by Bob Batchelor. The Yuh Prosthodontics Lecture.
Feb. 27
Martin Luther King Jr., presented by Jonathan Eig. The John and Linda Coker Lecture.
Feb. 29
Rosemary Kennedy, presented by Kate Clifford Larson. The Coldwell Banker Elite Lecture.
March 12
First lady Edith Wilson, who quietly ran the country during the illness of President Woodrow Wilson, presented by Rebecca Roberts. The Chancellor’s Village Lecture.
March 14
Billie Jean King, presented by Johnette Howard. The UMW James Farmer Multicultural Center Lecture.
March 19
Elizabeth Taylor, presented by Kate A. Brower. The Jubilation by Silver Companies Lecture.
March 21
Jazz Age bootleg king George Remus, inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s fictional Jay Gatsby, presented by Abbott Kahler. The UMW Dining Lecture.
March 26
Ten Caesars (Augustus to Constantine), presented by Barry Straus.
March 28
Edgar Allan Poe, presented by Mark Dawidziak. The Russell and Barbara Stone ‘79 Mait Lecture.
More information is available online at umw.edu/greatlives.
